Panama

has anyone taken the overnight express bus from Panama City to Bocas (Almirante)...I'm thinking about doing that instead of flying in order to save some money, but wondering if it's worth it just to pay for the flight instead

I'll be spending 15 days in Panama from March 18th to April 1st. During that time, I'd like to go on a rainforest trek. I prefer something 2-3 nights in length and only involving hiking (no bikes, kayaks, etc.). I'll need to do it through a guide service, and since I don't plan on bringing a bunch of camping stuff down, I'd need the service to be fully-catered. Also, I'm a solo traveler, so I'd want to use an agency that can group me with other people.

Does anybody have a recommendation for…

Over the course of my recent 2.5 weeks driving around Panama I spent 4-5 days driving in Panama City. Other folks will have had a lot more experience driving in PC and their input would be great, but after a few days I started to get the hang of it and wanted to provide some tips and tricks here.

(I was driving a rental car; for info on logistics related to renting a car in Panama see my other post today.)

Overall
TT poster recommendations regarding driving in Panama City seem to range from…

There have been a few posts recently about renting a car in Panama; after having just finished
driving one around the country for 2.5 weeks I thought I’d offer up some info.

Should I Use Local Transport or Rent a Car?
Panama has great public transportation options – the local and long-distance busses, taxi’s, and planes are efficient and inexpensive and get to pretty much everywhere most people want to go. I normally prefer traveling this way instead of by car because of the advantages (i.e…

We will be in Panama for a week in early April with our kids, ages 6&7. We want to see as much as possible without staying in 5 different places. Have started our research and many people seem to really like Santa Fe. So we are considering staying there for 4 nights and doing day trips out of there or staying two nights in Santa Clara and two in Santa Fe. But if we really only want a half day on the beach, is Santa Fe for four days smarter? How far is beach from Santa Fe? We are not huge beach…

Are Mireya's restaurant, across from Marriott Hotel, and Veggie Kingdom, near Veneto Casino, still open?
I've been coming to Panama for five years and enjoyed both of these--Mireya's for the homebaked whole grain breads and pastries, non-dairy flan,and uncompromising approach to veg-meals, and Veggie Kingdom for their rasta-style food. But in June 2008 my husband passed through P-City and found both were closed. Did they move, shut down or what?

There is still the Asian style veg restaurant…

I heard that tiotom has reopened his place on Bastimientos.

Can anybody confirm this

My wife and I will be travelling in late February to Panama. Normally we travel without itinerary allowing us to limp around without pressures of a schedule. We hope to visit the Comarca de Kuna Yala. I have read that it is wise to book flights and accommodations in advance. This is highly contrary to our normal style and we wonder if this is really necessary considering the downturn in the world economy and tourism etc... We can easily adapt by staying in most any accommodations. We are able…

Hi,

Just a quick question. Has anybody been to Panama recently (specifically over-land from Costa Rica) and do they know what the current situation is with Yellow Fever Certificates / Vaccinations and entry requirements? The reason I ask is that the info on the internet is very conflicting...

Thanks if anyone can help

KK

Hey everyone -

I was wondering if somebody had any recommendations for a nice hotel in Panama City. My boyfriend and I will be spending out last two days in the city before we fly back home and within those days is his birthday and we would like to stay somewhere very nice.

Any suggestions would be awesome.

Cheers